Rhodes – 4th September

At gone 2am on Monday 4th September I was up needing a wee and to put the AC on, it was over 30⁰C and rather sweaty in our room. I’d also got a message from my friend about dates for a holiday in Rhodes next year so I was mulling over how I was going to be able to plan ahead, knowing I still didn’t have my residency renewal appointment date for this year and wouldn’t know until Sonuç could confirm on the system. Now that I was out of the country I couldn’t access the system for an appointment so would have to wait until I got back to Turkey to find out more. For breakfast Captain Caveman had found us a nearby café called Dali Extraordinary Art Bistro, it had fancy tea and pancakes with some interesting combinations. Nanny Kay ordered pancakes with ice-cream, caramel and biscuits on, Captain Caveman had bacon, cheese, spinach and egg, smothered in a mayo sauce. I had plain pancakes with bacon on and they were very nice.

We went to Marks & Spencer’s and I was so disappointed to find they did not have a food section or sell booze. They had a few snacky things and some Percy Pig sweets but nothing that I wanted, even the clothes and underwear were not my style. I wanted to get a bottle of sherry for a friend as a thank you for all the bags of nice clothes she’d given me recently. All 5 of us had a wander round the shops and through the old town, stopping at a place called Streat for lunch, where Captain Caveman and I shared a pork gyros plate which was rather tasty. That night we had plans to celebrate Jamie’s birthday at a rather lovely restaurant Captain Caveman and I had been to before and we’d really enjoyed it.

We had arranged to meet at the Mexican place at 7pm, before dinner, as the restaurant we were going to was opposite it. Captain Caveman had his new shirt on which he’d had made in Vietnam, I had on a nice dress and Nanny Kay had wore her lovely dress from when it was her birthday. We looked the part and were excited for our night out to celebrate Jamie’s birthday. When we arrived at the bar, it was evident that Jamie had been celebrating his birthday already and was quite tipsy. Drew was definitely a little merry too but we all had some drinks and we hoped some food would sort Jamie out a bit. At Piatakia we were seated in the small restaurant upstairs and given our menus. Captain Caveman and I had already mentioned to our friends that the last time we came we had really enjoyed the tasting menu, despite me being rather fussy and having allergies. The tasting menu had 7 courses for €30 (£26.22) which was very reasonable so Captain Caveman and I were going to do that again. Nanny Kay was up for it too and we looked over to see if the boys were in agreement. They weren’t, as Jamie said there were too many foods he didn’t like, he wasn’t that hungry and didn’t want it to be a waste. They decided to just have a main course of the beef stifado, one of the dishes on the tasting menu, which none of us took note of the price of at the time. As luck would have it they also offered wine flights which was €27 (£23.60) for 4 different wines or €23 (£20.10) for 3 which Captain Caveman and I chose the 4 wines flight, obviously. I also made sure to tell the waiter about my allergies, especially molluscs in case they happened to be used in the prawn risotto.
Unfortunately, Jamie and Drew were not impressed with their meal as it was the same size as our taster plate. At €21 (£18.35) just for that course, it wasn’t good value for the size of it. It didn’t help that a storm had started, the restaurant was full but some of it was open to the elements as the rain got heavier and started to come in through the ceiling and the large windows. Our table was getting very wet and we had to move to the bar to finish our last 2 courses but, to placate customers, the waiter served everyone that wanted one a glass of champagne. Then the power went off and the chef continued cooking in the dark on a gas stove. We were assured our risotto would be served soon and given top ups of fizz while Jamie started making his point about his stifado portion being on the small size. The waiter told Jamie he didn’t have to pay their bill, which also included their drinks. Jamie insisted he would pay all or some of the bill (I wasn’t following exactly by this point) and put forward his card. As the storm had affected power, the machine wouldn’t work so he ended up not being able to pay at all. The waiter said it was on him, as they weren’t happy and he probably had a lot of other issues to sort as diners started to leave. Jamie and Drew left just as our risotto came and another top up of the sparkling stuff, which was moreish. While we ate the delicious prawn risotto, we were asked if we still wanted to continue with dessert and our wine flight. We did, even though the storm was definitely getting worse.
Nanny Kay ended up having my pana cotta dessert as I started to feel a bit unwell, all of a sudden I couldn’t breathe and I thought my throat was closing up. Captain Caveman thought I was having a panic attack after the stifado fiasco but I knew I wasn’t. Luckily, Nanny Kay used to be a nurse and had an inhaler with her. She made me use the Ventolin and I instantly started to feel better, I coughed and drank warm tap water but I was ok. Nanny Kay said it had been an asthma attack, which was really weird. When we went to pay, Nanny Kay had to lend us cash as, like Jamie, we only had cards. We were only charged €133 (£116.23) between the 3 of us as we only had 3 wines in the end and it was still pouring rain in.
The 3 of us didn’t really mind the rain and sploshed back the short distance to the hotel where we shared a cheeky bottle of red wine and had a bit of a laugh about the whole Jamie’s birthday celebration debacle. Nanny Kay, Captain Caveman and I had thoroughly enjoyed ours and we all agreed the taster menu was the only way to go. Nanny Kay had probably saved my life with that inhaler too and we realised that maybe there was clam juice in the risotto but in the chaos, the chef had probably forgot about my allergy requirements.

Photo credit – some photos taken by Jamie & Captain Caveman

Fethiye to Rhodes – 3rd September

The alarm was set for 5am on Sunday 3rd September and Jamie was coming to pick us up at 5.30am. Of course, there’s sometimes a bit of a drama when we go anywhere with Nanny Kay and today was no different!
We had been good for once and gone to bed early, set 2 alarms on 2 different phones and were sat in the back of Jamie’s car as he knocked on Nanny Kay’s door. It was still dark so we couldn’t see anything until Drew went to check what was taking so long and found that Nanny Kay wasn’t answering the door. To be honest all of our first thoughts were ‘what if she’s dead?’ she is getting on a bit! Luckily, she had done her usual trick and overlaid so she eventually came to the car in a panic and slightly dishevelled.
We still arrived at the ferry terminal in good time to pick up our boarding cards. Jamie, Drew and Nanny Kay were on the faster ferry, Captain Caveman and I were on the other one. The ferry crossing was fine and of course Captain Caveman played Bridge on his phone the whole way there and I don’t think we spoke once. We were right at the back of the immigration queue when we got there so the others had to wait for us. As there were 5 of us plus luggage a taxi wouldn’t have been much use so we all followed Captain Caveman, through the streets of the old town, towards the hotels. Nanny Kay had managed to get the same hotel as us and it was meant to be just 11 minutes’ walk from Marks & Spencer’s. Jamie & Drew were in a hotel with a pool not too far away from us.

We checked in at Mascot Boutique Hotel and had a quick shower/change. It was a hot day and we all needed a beverage so we didn’t waste much time. Our room was lovely with a loft style bed and ladder, we had a bottle of wine left out for us too. Nanny Kay had the largest room in the hotel and was rather nice to say it was the last one left. We reconvened as a group at a Mexican bar/restaurant just round the corner from our hotel. Nanny Kay had a sangria but the rest of us had an Alpha beer, which were about €4/5 each for a big one.

We decided to eat at Rhodes Blue for lunch and what a lovely place I thought it was. Drew had beer, Nanny Kay had a coke and the rest of us shared white wine. For starters we all shared pitta bread with hummus and tzatziki and we had quite an eclectic mix of main meals; Pepperoni pizza for Drew, Beef Stifado for Jamie, Moussaka for Nanny Kay, Pork Souvlaki for Captain Caveman and Spare ribs for me. There were extra french fries ordered too. The total bill came to €107 (£93.46) with the cheapest thing on the menu being a can of coke at €3, the most expensive being the wine at €13.50, meals were between €10.50 and €12.50 so not bad and the portions were good.

We nipped back to the hotel after lunch but then met up again at a bar called Ottima. We were meeting Steve and Michelle to go to a festival that was on at Therme Park in Rhodes Town, nearer to Marks & Spencer’s. Steve and Michelle were really busy with work so they couldn’t stop long, just long enough to meet everyone and have a pint of ale from The Mule’s Brew pop up bar. After they left, the 5 of us stayed to listen to the singers, had another drink from the cocktail bar and it was a nice little event.
We walked back to our hotels and called in to a lovely bar called Koykos on the way back, we sat outside and ordered wine and a sharing platter which was lovely and not expensive. Our night finished at Felini, an ice-cream place where Captain Caveman had his favourite, pistachio. I had a mixture of mango and raspberry sorbet – the diet was once again on hold!

Photo credit – some photos by Captain Caveman and Jamie

Dalyan – 28th August

It was Maddie and Sam’s engagement celebration on a Princess of Ekincik boat trip on Monday 28th August. Unfortunately, Captain Caveman had to go without me as I had plans with Kelly and Clare. Kelly was leaving after midnight tonight but Clare was off around midday. It had not been a long enough trip and I was going to miss them a lot. I’d loved having them both here in Dalyan and it had really made my week! We all had more last day BC Spa treatments booked in. While the girls had their last full on pamper, I had a much needed pedicure. It was £10 which I didn’t think was bad and the therapist did a good job. I was trying my best not to sob when Clare left, especially as we hoped to meet up when I came back to England and maybe get a cheeky Rhodes holiday in for 2024.

Kelly and I waved Clare off as Fikri took her to the airport then we decided to have a last walk down the river. We stumbled across Sahil restaurant, where I’d not been to in ages. I’ve got friends who love it but I’d also read bad reviews of them ripping people off fairly recently. It took a while for one of the many staff to pass me the menus he was holding and I was on my guard to see if they were dual menu/pricing for foreigners. I did speak in Turkish but was given an English only menu. It has amazing views of the river so I didn’t expect it to be cheap but it turned out to be one of the more expensive places I’ve eaten at, in August. A coke was 65 lira (£1.94)! My chicken wrap was the most expensive I’ve had in Dalyan but the chips were very good. The chicken fajitas, which Kelly ordered without the wraps, were 447 lira (£13.34), which I remembered as it was a strange price. Having said that, Kelly did say it was one of the best meals she’d had all holiday and thought it was worth the price.
On the way back through town, it was pretty warm so we stopped at Sofra bar for a swift drink. It’s probably a good job we did as the TVs had some important news showing! The Air Traffic Control System in the UK had failed and was causing chaos. Flights to and from the UK were either cancelled or delayed until further notice. Clare was at the airport with a delayed flight but access to the lounge so was coping well but we didn’t know yet if it would affect Kelly’s flight, which was at 4.50am tomorrow.

While uncertainty for whether Clare’s flight, already delayed by a couple of hours, would take off still, Kelly checked the news and called home. Regular updates came from Clare at Dalaman airport but it looked like even the staff didn’t really know when flights would continue to fly. My mate, Josh, was stuck at a UK airport trying to get to Italy. All we knew about Kelly’s flight was that she should still go to the airport to check in, as normal, even if there was going to be long delays so that was the plan. We went back to BC Spa finished off some wine and then got ready for our last meal together.
Captain Caveman was back from an amazing day on the boat with lots of friends and had not heard about the flight issues. Of course, he said if Kelly’s flight got cancelled or delayed she was welcome to stay at his place and proceeded to tidy the spare room, just in case.
We ate at Bistro Blue that evening where Captain Caveman had liver & onions for a starter and Kelly had the onion bhaji. I didn’t have a starter as I knew I’d be having a big main meal. We shared some Allure rosé wine which went down very well and for mains we ordered a steak with onion and mushrooms for me, a chicken casserole for Kelly, and Captain Caveman chose the chicken & halloumi salad. I loved the food and was very full after eating all my dinner. As we drank more wine, Clare messaged to let us know she had finally landed at Gatwick but she had been one of the lucky ones. I managed to squeeze in the shared dessert of baklava with ice-cream which was delightful and not at all Slimming World friendly. We did a cheers with our complimentary amarettos to our last night together and recorded a birthday message to the other Claire, who hadn’t been able to make it out to Dalyan this time. The bill came to 2,800 lira (£83.58) for the 3 of us. All was well except for the fact that Captain Caveman was able to ascertain that Kelly’s flight was probably going to be cancelled before she got informed of it. The plane was still in the UK and would not be leaving any time soon so it would not be likely that Kelly could get on it from Turkey. Fikri was still on hold though for 1am as we weren’t sure if she was definitely going to the airport or not.
Captain Caveman, feeling tired after a long journey from Vietnam and going out since he got back, went home. I went back to BC Spa with Kelly where we explained the flight situation and the receptionist said the hotel room was available for tomorrow anyway, should she need it.

Dalyan – 27th August

I was awake on Sunday 27th August before Captain Caveman landed in Dalaman, on time, at 7.55am. I checked the weather forecast and it looked to be a bit cooler than what he’s used to in Vietnam but still quite warm and dry. He was only going to be here for a week and then he had a Europe and UK trip planned, so he hoped to make the most of being back in Dalyan just for a short time. The most important thing was for me to sort out all the necessary paperwork so that I would be able renew my residency. Hopefully, I would have everything he needed to sign, completed before we left for another trip to Rhodes.
Captain Caveman arrived but, as he gets paid in Vietnamese Dong, he had no Turkish money. I went out to pay Fikri, the taxi fare of 850 lira (£25) while he brought in all his luggage. I was excited to see him but by 10am I was even happier – he’d managed to get me some Yorkshire teabags! His friend, Damo, had purchased a box from Cornwall, took it to Saigon to handover to Captain Caveman and then he’d brought it over to Dalyan! Unfortunately, there had still been no 2024 diaries anywhere on his journey so I would have to wait until he went back to England.
I’d waited to have my breakfast with Captain Caveman but he’d eaten already so I had fresh figs, banana, strawberries and quark with a nice cup of Yorkshire tea. I drank quite a bit of cucumber infused water in the hope of my eczema clearing up but it still looked quite bad.

By 2pm I was sending a copy of Captain Caveman’s tapu (deeds) and his tax code to Sonuç for my residency renewal file. At 3pm we decided to head over for a cheeky snifter at Tez bar before we went to meet Clare and Kelly at Lukka bar. Tez wasn’t there but his wife, Rabia, was feeding Bailey the new kitten so we had to get a photo. Of course, with Captain Caveman having been in Vietnam for 9 months I’d decided to book us in for a traditional meal as his first one.

All 4 of us were booked in for a Sunday lunch at Lukka where they do amazing Yorkshire puddings. We had pre-ordered the meat choices; Captain Caveman was having lamb and the 3 of us were having beef. The lamb dinner was 495 lira (£14.77), 400 lira (£11.94) for the beef dinner and that included apple pie and ice-cream. Captain Caveman had a couple of Efes beers which were 85 lira (£2.54) each. My glass of rosé wine was 98 lira (£2.98) but I didn’t order a second one as I wasn’t keen on the Buzbağ rosé. We shared a large bottle of water which was 45 lira (£1.34) as we needed to keep hydrated.
The food and service were good and I really enjoyed what I managed to eat, a little less than half of my meal went in to Tupperware for another day as it was huge. I even took my apple pie home as I was trying to be good. It’s not the cheapest place in town, we’d paid 1,248 lira (£37.25) for Captain Caveman and my Sunday lunch with drinks, but we had full tummies and enjoyed it. Clare and Kelly both said it would have cost more than that where they live in England so it was a nice treat, for a bit of a change.

Just after eating our meal, I got sad news that a friend, John, had died. He was the guy I met when I volunteered to push him round the Dalyan 5k Race in a wheelchair. He was quite a character and a lovely fella so I was rather sad. We decided to pop to Bistro Blue for a bit of a drink and I was in a bit of a daze for Clare’s farewell drinks. I managed a pint of draft Efes, Captain Caveman had another Efes Malt, Clare a gin & tonic and Kelly an English Garden cocktail.
On the second round I just had half and everyone else had the same as before. Here’s what we paid for the drinks:

1 litre of water 75.00
330ml draft Efes 75.00
500ml draft Efes 90.00
500ml Efes Malt 90.00
Gin & Tonic 130.00
English Garden cocktail 330.00

Our total bill for 4 of us came to 1,415 lira (£42.24) but the cocktails are probably the same as you’d pay in the UK. Back home, I was back on the cucumber water, while Captain Caveman had a gin and tonic and I made him a mini pizza wrap in the airfryer. While I was happy that Captain Caveman was back, I was sad that Clare and Kelly were leaving tomorrow.

Dalyan – 26th August

At 9am on Saturday 26th August I would ordinarily be thinking of getting to the Saturday market for some fruit and vegetables. They do sell lots of other things there, including bags, shoes, clothes, spices, Turkish delight, as well as being able to buy a cheap gözleme (Turkish pancake). I’d asked Kelly and Clare if they fancied a wander round it later but they weren’t really up for a 15 minute walk (each way) in such hot weather, especially as they didn’t really need anything in particular. I knew I’d mostly be eating out with my friends, rather than cooking at home, so there was no point stocking up either.
We all spent the morning in the treatment rooms of the BC Spa and had mixed massages. I had some reflexology which was fantastic while the lady sorted out Kelly’s back. Clare was in another room getting a full body massage. We were all super relaxed by the time we emerged and we were fit for doing nothing, except for maybe a stroll down the river for some lunch.
I suggested an old favourite to eat at, Yakamoz, so we could sit and admire the river view. It was a hot day so the slight breeze was welcome and we got a couple of glimpses of a turtle swimming nearby. The starters had a theme of cheese; stuffed mushrooms, cheese rolls (sigara böreği in Turkish) and Halloumi all with salad garnish and plenty of fresh bread. For main I ordered the chicken shish, Kelly had chicken casserole and Clare had the mixed casserole. We all had soda water or a soft drink as we needed to keep hydrated. My meal came to 570 lira (£17) which was a bit steep for lunch time and wasn’t the biggest, or best, chicken shish I’ve had in Dalyan. The girls enjoyed their casseroles so I’d probably have that the next time.

We strolled back through town and the girls grabbed dessert at the Dalyano ice-cream shop, 70 lira (£2.09) for 3 scoops.
Next, we popped in to the Dalyan Turkish Delights and More shop on the main shopping street to buy some Turkish delight. It wasn’t as cheap as when I get it in Fethiye but it was very fresh and the lady let us taste quite a few flavours. I bought rose for me and pistachio for Captain Caveman, who would be arriving in Dalyan tomorrow. Our final shopping spot was Aladdin Bags, where we browsed the purses. I have a Hermes purse which I bought a couple of years ago and he was selling them for the same English price as back then which was good. Both Kelly and Clare got themselves a bargain and it meant it was time for a light refreshment.

On weekends it can often be tricky to find a reasonably priced bar which doesn’t have sport on so when I saw that Corner bar was empty and had no TV on, we plumped ourselves down on the comfy seats. I ordered a pint of draft Efes, the girls opted for a cocktail. While the drinks were being prepared a half naked English bloke and his mates came up and asked for the football to be put on and the bar man obliged. Our peace was shattered, Kelly went off for another browse round the shops for souvenirs while Clare and I tried to ignore the football on TV. We left after the one drink and sauntered back to BC Spa. Around the same time, Captain Caveman was boarding his plane from Saigon to Istanbul. We stayed around the girls’ hotel room and had leftover nibbles and wine for the evening. I got home after midnight again – this time knowing that when I woke up tomorrow, Captain Caveman would be on his way from Istanbul to Dalaman.

Photo credit – some by Clare Spindloe

Dalyan – 18th August

I was up and about early on Friday 18th August, ready for a boat trip. It was the first one this month – the last one I went on was 3 weeks ago. I checked on, played with and fed Molly, the cat, and I gave her some extra treats, seeing as I wouldn’t be back at lunch time. Back home, I ate overnight oats with peach and quark for breakfast before getting ready to meet friends, Penny and Phil. They had invited me on a boat trip with them, their family and a friend, so I’d made sure I wasn’t working today.
We were going on Kingfisher boat which was costing 750 lira (£22.22) each and included lunch. The boat was nice, although quite full so I could see why it was slightly cheaper than a usual trip, due to the amount of people joining. We had a biscuit and a cup of tea then sailed towards Ekincik with a few other boats near to us. Today the sea was very choppy and I had to take a sea sickness tablet. I didn’t think that the first stop looked calm enough for swimming so I stayed on the boat but some of the kids were already jumping off the top deck. A couple of the mothers of the children didn’t seem to care or notice until the captain called everyone back in and we moved on. As there were 3 kids in our party I decided not to drink alcohol until later, it was a family trip not a booze up. The lunch was plentiful, although not the best I’ve had on a boat trip but then I’ve been spoiled with the ones we choose. When I did have a wine I decided to have white with soda water. Our last swim stop was very calm and the water was so clear. We all bobbed about chatting and having a good laugh. On our return back to Dalyan I had another white wine and soda, which I sipped, as I was trying to be good. I got rather a shock when I got the bill as the small Harman wines were 120 lira (£3.54) each and the soda water was 40 lira (£1.18)each. 160 lira (£4.72) is the most I’ve paid in Dalyan for a wine and soda water. A small beer was 80 lira (£2.36) which I’d have been better having but I didn’t think. I did query it with the waitress and the captain’s wife but they do charge the same for a soda water as a soft drink.
We were back in Dalyan dead on 5pm too, which was a bit early but it did mean I could be with Molly, the cat, earlier than I anticipated. I fed Molly and spent a bit of time with her, she was pleased to see me but Tez said she’d been galavanting with a boyfriend!
By 7pm I was having an airfryer quesadilla as I was peckish. I even had cheesespread on wholemeal toast before bed. Tomorrow I promised myself a healthy relaxing day and had already decided I would have an alcohol free day.

Dalyan – 14th August

By 8am on Monday 14th August I was in Rob and Tracy’s apartment feeding Molly, the cat. While I was there, I took some photos, played with Molly and spoke to Captain Caveman who was at a party with some porters. We discussed me meeting him in Naples at the beginning of October but the flights went via London which was a bit of a faff and they weren’t particularly cheap. Before work, I had cheese on toast for breakfast, but no Yorkshire tea as I had ran out. I messaged our gardening company, to let them know they needed to tidy the grounds of our complex and they replied to say they would come today – they didn’t.
I went back to check the cat at lunch time and, as the owners had not left enough food or cat litter in for Molly, I located the spare cash as instructed by Rob. I would check the price when I next went to the supermarket as I had no idea how much cat food was, these days. I played with Molly for a bit, she’s a lovely cat but a bit on the chunky side. I took more photos and admired the river view. Back at home, I had mantı (Turkish pasta) for lunch then got back to work.
I went to meet Kate, Mark and Jamie at Sofra bar at 7pm Kate explained she’d been unable to bring me a 2024 diary back from England and she’d forgotten about the Yorkshire tea. I was back to being on a constant look out for a diary as I was getting quite booked up for 2024 already. I messaged Captain Caveman and he said he would try to get me some Yorkshire tea and a diary when he came back from Vietnam in 2 weeks. I finished my drink, kept hold of Teddy, the AWOL dog, until Ghislaine came to collect him again then I went back to feed Molly.
I called at the shops for some provisions and got the following items:

Migros Supermarket

Plastic bag 0.25
Mints 9.50
Popcorn 15.00
Salt & Vinegar crisps 21.00
745g Cherries 89.33
644g chicken thighs 96.28
2kg whole chicken 113.34

Total spent 344.70 lira (£10.17)

Bim Supermarket

Brown sliced loaf 13.75 lira (41p)

It was late by the time I was going home and I’d forgotten to get anything out for dinner. I decided to have a Hatay kebab which tasted great at the time but I’m sure I’d come to regret it at Fat Club on Wednesday.

Dalyan – 11th to 13th August

On Friday 11th August I had to work because I’d moved my days to accommodate Mark and Kate’s cat and house sitting dates. I worked from 9am to 5pm with a break for lunch.
I was also back to eating nice food at home; beans on toast for breakfast, feta and beetroot salad for lunch, then a tandoori style chicken and rice dish for dinner. I even opened a bottle of rosé wine when I finished work and sat on the balcony in my lounge chair.
I thought I was going to have a relaxed early night at home but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Kate messaged to ask if I wanted to meet her and Mark at Tez bar so I said yes. After more wine there, it ended up being a rather messy, drunken evening in Dalyan Lounge and then Sofra.
Kate fell asleep in Dalyan Lounge so Mark and I left with her on the puff truck to make sure she got home. We had a can of beer and a hip flask to come back in to town with to rejoin Jo, Steve, John, Andrea, Jade and her husband who’s birthday it was. We bumped in to Bakı and we had rather a lot more drinks. Obviously, Mark and I were the last 2 standing in Sofra at about 4am – tomorrow was going to hurt!

I had no idea how I was going to get through all my plans on Saturday 12th August! I postponed my meet up at Goodeer Cafe with Jamie and went back to bed. I couldn’t face going to the market so I slept until about 1pm then went to meet Jamie. I had a lime slushy which made my hangover headache even worse. Jamie had also ended up drinking until 4am this morning with his neighbours so we were both in the same pathetic state, still.
Neither of us quite knew how we were going to muster up the oomph to be able to attend Nanny Kay’s birthday celebrations tonight. As I entered the complex back at our apartment I noticed that the garden was overgrown again and was looking a bit dishevelled so I needed to remind the maintenance company to give it a bit of attention.
Jamie, Ann and I met at Sofra bar for a livener before the main birthday event. I took more than 30 minutes to get half a draft lager down me and felt absolutely terrible. We went to Meet Meat restaurant where there was about 20 of us for the birthday meal. The free mushroom and bread starters were amazing and I ordered a steak with rice, chips and salad which was very nice. I made a glass of red wine last all night and I was absolutely begging for mercy. My 200g steak meal came to 448 lira (£13.27), which was very reasonable, the wine was 100 lira (£2.96) for a decent glass and a large water was 30 lira (89p). We’d had a reasonably priced night out with excellent food and service.
Unfortunately, there was an after-party, back at Sofra where it turned in to another one of those nights! Jamie, Ghislaine and I got in at gone 4am after Teddy, the dog, had gone AWOL meaning Ghislaine was forced to come and collect him from us at Sofra Bar.

It wouldn’t take a genius to work out that I had an easy day on Sunday 13th August. On a positive note, staying out until after the Jazz bar had closed meant I was getting better sleep.
I had bread, feta cheese and olives for breakfast, a hot dog for lunch then tandoori chicken with egg fried rice for dinner. I had an early night because tomorrow I had another week of cat sitting.

Dalyan – 9th & 10th August

After I’d fed the cats their breakfast on Wednesday 9th August, Casha went back to bed in the spare room. I met a gecko outside on the meter box too.
I took the puff truck over to our apartment, where I made myself pancakes with fruit for a late breakfast. I got weighed and was hopeful for a good result at Fat Club later as I had lost a bit since last week and my measurements were good; no change to bust or hips but -4cm off my waist!
I noticed that our complex was looking a bit dishevelled and the gardener and pool man hadn’t been in a while.
I worked all morning then went to Fat Club where Carol’s scales said I had lost 1.3kg (almost 3lb). On the way home I went to the supermarket and bought the following;

1 plastic bag 0.25
Fresh bread 7.50
Foil trays 15.15
Black eyed beans 16.90
1 Bounty 19.00
Passata 23.90
2 Quark 35.90
Mushrooms 39.90
Bin liners 55.90
Prawns 89.90
Chicken 129.68

Total spent 381.99 lira (£11.30)

I had beans on toast with hot dog sausage in plus a hot dog before I took the puff truck back to Mark and Kate’s for my cat feeding action. I was in bed by 11pm, having had another alcohol free day. I was pleased it was my last night staying away and I was looking forward to getting home!

Mark and Kate were due back at 8.20pm on Thursday 10th August and I was eager to get back to normal. I fed the cats, watered the plants, stripped the bed and washed all the bedding and towels. I had strawberries for breakfast then packed up all my stuff ready to leave. I had a last swim before a lunch of lentil soup and a turkey salad wrap. I took all my stuff home in the afternoon, it was very hot. I had a hot dog at home before taking the puff truck back to Mark and Kate’s for one last cat feed. I made sure the house was tidy, that I’d taken anything I’d left in the fridge and that the cats were all happy. I put the keys for the puff truck back where they belonged, it still didn’t need charging and I’d not used any of the electric bikes.
I walked home, it had cooled down a little by about 8pm but it was still quite warm. When I got home I had a beer and a Bounty as a bit of a treat. I was so looking forward to my own bed and not having to get up too early to tend to any animals.

Dalyan – 1st & 2nd August

I had another healthy day on Tuesday 1st August. For breakfast I had banana, peach, strawberries with quark and a herbal tea. I went to buy another water for the cooler to find it had now gone up to 50 lira (£1.50) for 19 litres but he did deliver it quicker than last time.
For lunch I had a chicken and veg pasta then I worked for about 3 hours in the afternoon, once it had cooled down a bit. I was conscious that I was off to Fat Club tomorrow so I was trying my best to be good, it was my third day without alcohol too. I had wholemeal toast for dinner and then decided to pop out to the shops because there seemed to be an increase in the amount of ants we had in the apartment. Here’s what I bought and the prices in lira;

Migros supermarket

Boiled beans 16.90
Bulgur wheat 27.95
Tomato paste 32.50
Ant spray 45.25
Total spent 199.15 lira (£5.96)

Şarküteri
2 tins Heinz baked beans 90.00
Cheddar cheese 110.00
Total spent 200.00 lira (£5.98)

The English products were obviously more expensive here but I really fancied treating myself to beans and cheese.

I was on a last-ditch attempt to have lost weight this week on Wednesday 2nd August. I weighed myself on the home scales and I seemed to have done ok but we would have to go by Carol’s official scales at Fat Club. My measurements were less favourable; bust -2cm, waist +2cm, hips +3cm. This wasn’t boding well for a loss this week and I had consumed 266 syns in total, on a 110 syn allowance!
I’d done an hour’s work when I noticed the water in the cooler was only half full – it was leaking! I googled how to fix it and did, then mopped up the floor! I had slimming world friendly ‘pancakes’ for breakfast which were made from 2 of my least favourite foods; eggs and bananas mashed together and cooked. I drank 2 Lotus teas and a litre of water, I also made 3 omelettes and popped them in the freezer for egg fried rice at a later date. For lunch I had veggie pasta and another litre of water.
I finished work at 2.30pm and walked over to Fat Club. I was pleased to find that I had actually lost 0.8kg (1.8lbs) which was great. I went back home to finish off some work before heading back out to the bank and then to Rehab bar to see whoever was left of the pool gang. Mark, Kate, John and Andrea were still there so I joined them for a drink, with it being pay day. I limited myself to 2 pints of draft Efes and then joined Mark and Kate for another drink (a glass of red wine) at Rodrigo’s. Mark ordered a burger from the burger place next door while Kate and I had chicken rice and chickpeas (really tasty and healthier) from across the road.
I walked home via the river and took some photos of the boats along the way. After a cup of tea, I had an early night as I was working tomorrow and then off for a week of cat sitting.

Dalyan – 29th July

It was a day of fun on Saturday 29th July on another Princess of Ekincik boat trip to welcome Annie back to Dalyan. By 10am we had set sail as we drank our morning brew with a cookie. Onboard we had a nice eclectic mix of people;
Jackie & Chris, Viv, Linda, Adele, a Turkish couple, a Dutch couple, Annie and me. We had a great BBQ lunch and some amazing swim stops and we even got to do something I’d never done before.

Adele asked Captain Ismail if we could moor up near to The Rock so that, those who wanted to, could swim around it. Adele, Annie, Chris and I managed to swim around it in the fairly choppy sea and it was really lovely. We had a laugh with the Turkish guest who was rather big and hilarious at getting himself on and off the paddle board. On another one of our swim spots we were warned very clearly by Ismail to stay away from the sea urchins. The Dutch guy, who had never been to Dalyan or a boat trip before proceeded to ignore this and ended up with six spikes in his foot. Our Captain had to remove them with tweezers and the man was clearly in agony.

The food, as always, was incredible and I washed it down with a couple of glasses of rosé wine which were 100 lira (£2.98) for a decent measure. It was such a lovely day that I don’t think Annie, Adele and I wanted it to end. It nearly didn’t end well when there was a problem with the boat’s engine. Luckily, Captain Boris was due to pass and he helped tow us back to Dalyan.

The 3 of us plus Chris and Jackie decided to pop for one drink at Tez bar. Tez had a nice bottle of rosé wine for just 350 lira (£10.42) so Adele, Annie and I shared that. It was nice to sit and relax while deciding if we might go for food. After saying goodbye to Adele, Chris and Jackie, Annie and I popped back to mine for a quick shower before dinner. We had booked a table at Duble, one of our favourite eateries in the old market square. I’d not been there in ages so it was nice to visit and we had a veritable feast between us; cheese rolls, liver and onions, bread and dips to start followed by chicken shish and Adana kebab for our mains – all washed down with another bottle of rosé wine. Our meal with wine was a reasonable 700 lira (£20.83) each, it was amazing and I had leftovers to take home.
I’d loved my day and night out and it was brilliant to spend time with Annie who was due back again in a couple of months.

Photo credit – Annie Miller for some of her photos

Dalyan – 23rd July

It was Gayle, Neil, Morgan and April’s last day and night in Dalyan on Sunday 23rd July as they were leaving tomorrow morning.
They had planned to have a cleaning, tidying and packing day followed by lounging and swimming round the pool for their last day. They had booked to go out for a meal and I was going to have another day off. We’d had a great time and, surprisingly, not one fall out or complaint.
In the afternoon I got flight confirmation from my friends, Kelly and Clare, who were coming to visit me next month. I was looking forward to seeing them after 4 years of not being able to see each other.
Later, I went over to where my sister and family were staying and we had a dip in the pool. Some friends from Fethiye and Mark stopped by just to say hello and I met them at the gate for a few minutes.
When I went back in, the family were getting ready and said I should join them for their last dinner out in Dalyan.

I’ve not been to La Bohème this year, it was very busy but we had a reserved table by the river, overlooking the rock tombs. We decided cocktails would be a good idea and I ordered a pornstar martini. We shared the meze plate for starters and each of us ordered some really good main courses. My surf and turf was one of the best meals I’d had in Dalyan. We shared wine and had a brilliant last night celebrating a wonderful holiday. As we came to pay the bill, there was a power cut which meant we all had to put our cash in to pay.

The girls weren’t too pleased about that as they had been promised a look round the shops. A lot of the shops were unable to take card payments but we did find a couple that could so the girls could get some souvenirs.
On our walk back towards home we decided that it wouldn’t be a farewell send off without a quick drink in Bistro Blue.
We must have left about 12.30am as I have a receipt for the drinks at that time and the electric in Dalyan was back on.

Dalyan – 15th July

On Saturday 15th July we had entered a heatwave coming from Morocco and were advised by the authorities to stay indoors during the daylight hours. Of course, we decided to ignore that and actually it didn’t feel quite as hot as Vietnam so I was doing ok.
I decided to go to the market in the midday sun, which is about a 15 minute stroll away. I had my sunhat on and took water with me. On the way I saw the homeless guy, wearing black and looking very warm. I bought him a peach and some water and helped him wash the peach. The market had been exceptionally empty when I got there at about 12.30pm so it was easy to grab what I needed and get back home quickly. I bought cherries, peaches, courgettes, aubergines, carrots and mushrooms so spent less than 200 lira easily. On the way back, I called in to Bim supermarket where I picked up a loaf of bread and a pack of nan bread for just 27.50 lira (82p). I noticed they had air fryers in for 1800 lira (£54), a few people from Fat Club were in to them so I was tempted and I know my mom fancied one.

By 2.30pm my mom and I were back in Bim on Atatürk Road buying the last air fryer then over to the other Bim in the Turkish quarter to buy another one. They were reduced to 1699 lira (£50.76) so we decided to get one each. The bank had been out of order, I only had card so my mom paid for both. They weren’t heavy but in the heat it was hard to walk about carrying the bulky boxes. It was unfortunate that my parents wouldn’t get to try it out just yet, though, as they were leaving late tonight, going back home to England.

That night we decided to celebrate in style and had booked a table for the 7 of us at Bistro Blue, one of our favourite restaurants. Beforehand, we met at one of my parents’ new favourites, Tapa, for drinks. I called at the bank to find that they were temporarily limiting withdrawals to 250/300 lira which is less than £10 per time so it was taking ages for people to get enough money out and it was all in small denominations – I’ve never had so many 10 lira (30p) notes!
The drinks at Tapa aren’t the cheapest in town but, despite it’s river location, it is also not the most expensive. The wine is a good one, Angora, for 95 lira (£2.84) per glass. A Turkish cider cost 150 lira (£4.48) which I don’t think is worth it so I no longer drink cider in Turkey. Our drinks bill came to 1,380 lira (£41.23) for 10 drinks, including 4 ciders, 4 pints of Efes and a Tequila Sunrise, which was definitely cheaper than what my family would have paid back in Sheffield.

At Bistro Blue we all had starters and main courses, including prawns, mushrooms, liver & onions, fish and steaks washed down with several wines. It was delicious and an excellent choice for celebrating my parents’ last night. We even splashed out on a couple of the bottles of nice wine with it being a special occasion, the end of my parents’ holiday and the last time we’d probably all be together for a while. The food and service was as lovely as always and I really enjoyed my pepper steak, my parents had their last fix of liver and onions which got great reviews too. Annie & Selahı made sure we gave Ma & Pa a good send off and we all had a cheeky amaretto for our farewell drink.

After seeing our parents off, and trying not to cry, the rest of us went for another drink at Tapa where Gayle tried one of the new marshmallow martini cocktails which was a bit like a dessert and Morgan had a daiquiri. It had been a great night and I was looking forward to putting my feet up for a bit of a rest tomorrow, but of course I had another event to attend.

Dalyan – 13th July

I worked from 11.30am to 5.45pm on Thursday 13th July so that I could accommodate the evening itinerary. I just ate plain noodles in chicken stock for lunch as we would be eating a feast tonight. It was also the hottest it had been since I’d got back to Dalyan and the temperature was over 40°C in the afternoon. I had to put the AC on!
At 6.30pm Ma, Pa, Gayle, Neil, Morgan, April and I were joining a group boat trip. It was booked a while ago for us to join the Princess of Ekincik Moonlight boat trip from 6.30pm until bedtime and we were all looking forward to it.
This trip allowed for a few swimming stops, the first at the lake where we were joined by a turtle while we were all in the water. Luckily, I had taken Steve’s sunglasses with me as my mom had lost her’s while I’d been away, so I gave them to her.

We had a delicious BBQ meal and went to the mud baths. Gayle and Ma had a fish foot experience while I went in the hot sulphur pool. The 3 of us went in the domes where there are hot pools and it was really nice. Captain Ismail sailed to Little Dalyan next, where we could relax, swim and walk on the beach. Later we all looked up at the sky for some star gazing and a few beverages were had. When we got back it was unusually hot in the town and we’d been lucky to have had the breeze on the boat. By 11.30pm we were saying our goodbyes and I paid my bill which was 1320 lira (£39.41) for my trip and drinks. The boat trips were definitely working out better value than going out for a meal! We had a quick drink in Tez bar before going home, just to finish off the night. Tomorrow would be another fun day in Dalyan and I was already looking forward to a celebration.

Dalyan – 11th July

I had another day off on Tuesday 11th July with more plans from the ‘behind the scenes itinerary’. Gayle and I had put together the plan of what we were doing most days for the following reasons;
1. We wanted everyone to have a good holiday without the hassle of deciding and trying to agree what to do each day, or where to eat for each meal.
2. Being a group of 7 in the school holidays/high season would mean activities, trips and restaurants will be busier than usual and may not have availability.
3. Neither of us wanted to deal with having to decide at the last minute, what to do or where to go, or worse – end up doing nothing!
We both felt being organised would benefit everyone better. Mom, Neil and Morgan much preferred to be more spontaneous and for us to wing it but Gayle and I were having none of that and had become a bit bossy.
At 9am I had paid the deposit for 5 of us (not ma and pa) to go on a horse riding trip next week and I was scared! By 10am the full family contingent and I were walking towards the ferry as we had a booking for Turkish breakfast over the river. I’d booked the 7 of us in at the Çandır Resort and had arranged the pick up service to take us up the mountain. They didn’t do gluten free food for Gayle but there were naturally gluten free things that she could have that she liked. I often struggle with a Turkish breakfast as I don’t like tomatoes, eggs or cucumber. The pastry and some cheeses often give me a belly ache too, so I took some tupperware to take some home. I was on the end of the table so I was the Turkish tea monitor and we all had a fresh orange juice. The cost of the breakfast for 7 of us, including the pick-up/drop off service, the juice, and a coffee was 3,395 lira (about £100) so not the cheapest but very lovely. I even brought the leftover olives and 2 pastries home with me.

On the way back we decided to call at Kaunos tea gardens for a beverage where everyone but Dad had soft drinks.
We didn’t get home until almost 3pm which didn’t leave much time to relax before our next activity on the itinerary, which not everyone was as enthusiastic about as Gayle and I.

We had decided to book everyone in for a night; Lukka bar had their music bingo night on so I’d booked a table. Joining our family were Debbie (Darling), Roy, Ann, Jamie, Drew and his 2 guests, Karen and Alicia. I’d booked the table ahead of time for the 14 of us but it meant we all had to be sat at the pool table (with a top on it). Debbie (Darling), Roy and Ann had already said they were just coming for drinks but the rest of us decided to eat there. Katrina had already sent us a copy of the menus so that we could work out the gluten free options. We got there early and introduced everyone, Jamie was already quite merry as my dad ordered a pint of draft, Mom and Neil had Efes malt, I had a glass of wine and the rest of our party were on the cocktails. When the drinks came my dad said he hadn’t ordered a pint (he did) but Jamie put him straight and sloshed the pint in front of him. I could already see my dad was not enjoying the night so far. My parents both ordered the Asian chicken, I ordered sweet and sour chicken, April chose steak, Morgan and Neil had lamb or chicken shish, Gayle opted for the salmon. Unfortunately Karen had ordered chicken curry but took my sweet and sour and started eating it, until Alicia mentioned it looked a bit like her yum yum chicken. I had to wait for a new one and Dad should have stuck to something he knew he’d like better.

Jamie was getting very touchy with Dad and I thought the night couldWhen everyone was together and the music bingo started, we all gave the ball a right old kick. As the night went on, more cocktails and wine was drunk. Most of us got up to dance and we had a great time. Our bill for the 7 of us came to 7,418 lira (£220) which worked out about £31 per person on average. By the end of the night Dad was on the brandy and we were probably going to have a hangover in the morning. It was a good job Gayle and I didn’t have much on the agenda for tomorrow, the kids had requested a pool day!